Custodian finds python in school locker

The unnamed Ball python, estimated to be less than a year old, was found curled inside a locker by a custodian cleaning out notebooks and textbooks as the building is prepared for demolition: The school''s nearly $200 million replacement is set to open this fall, the article noted.

Custodian Ed Reardon said he was so shocked when the three-foot-long snake fell at his feet that he didn''t think it was real: When it coiled into attack mode, Reardon grabbed it behind the head as he had seen on nature shows and took it to the pet store, the article stated.

According to the article, Reardon thinks a student left the snake in the locker at the end of school as a prank.

"We''re not trying to find the former owner, because what they did in abandoning the snake is actually a crime," said Nicki Eccles, manager at Newtonville Pet.

Jen Price, principal of Newton North High School, said the case is under investigation, the article added.

"I plan on questioning a student whose notebook was found near the snake, but it''s not like I can just get them out of class. It may take a while," Price said.

"And as an educator, I would be surprised if someone who abandoned a snake also left something identifying them right nearby," Price concluded.